Washington,
March 21 - In the final round of more than a year of heated debate over
healthcare reform, charges ranged all the way from “a headlong rush toward
socialism” to “our current system is broken - our nightmare ends tonight.”

In the
end, with the House-passed bill on the way to the White House for President
Obama's signature, the reams of argument boiled down to a simple difference
expressed by a protest sign waved at the rally outside Congress: “Healthcare is
a privilege, NOT a right.” That sign reversed the phrase so often repeated by
the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, a long-time champion of universal healthcare. But
the bill's passage Sunday night means that unless a subsequent Congress
overturns “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” healthcare has
become a right for all U.S.
citizens.

In two
key votes late Sunday night, despite Republican warnings of economic and social
disaster, the House first passed the Senate-passed healthcare bill 219 to 212,
with 34 Democrats siding with the solid ranks of Republicans in opposition.
This vote was immediately welcomed by President Obama at the White House,
watching the televised proceeding. He is expected to sign the bill into law
within a day or two.

Next,
the House passed its own “reconciliation” bill which includes several “fixes”
to the Senate bill. Under House and Senate rules, this bill which includes cost
reductions can be passed by the Senate with a filibuster-proof 51-vote
majority, not the 60 votes needed for other Senate bills to avoid a filibuster. Accordingly, when
this reconciliation bill is taken up by the Senate on Tuesday, the Republicans
have promised to disrupt proceedings as much as possible but the bill is
expected to be passed this week. Once signed by the President, the
reconciliation bill would amend the original Senate healthcare bill. A final
fix, needed to win the votes of House members who felt the final bill wouldn't
have sufficient protections against federal funds being used for abortion
coverage, is that President Obama has promised to sign an executive order
ruling out any possible abortion funding.

Even as
it was clear Sunday evening that the Democrats had signed up enough votes to
pass both bills, Republicans fought back. Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) insisted that
“the American people don't want a government takeover of healthcare” and Rep.
Scott Garrett (R-NJ) predicted that the new healthcare system “will be declared
unconstitutional.”

House
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) begged Democrats not to “vote to defy the
will of the America
people” and then shouted “Shame on each and every one of you who substitutes
your will and your desires above those of your fellow countrymen.”

In
contrast, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said “healthcare for all Americans”
comes as the logical next step after Social Security and Medicare. She promised
that “This legislation will lead to healthier lives, more liberty to pursue hopes
and dreams, and happiness for the American people. This is an American proposal
that honors the traditions of our country.” She said that “Thirty-two million
more Americans will have healthcare insurance and those who have insurance now
will be spared from being at the mercy of the health insurance industry with
their obscene increases in premiums, their rescinding of policies at the time
of illness, their cutting off of policies even if you have been fully paying
but become sick, the list goes on and on about the healthcare reforms that are
in this legislation. Insure 32 million more people, make it more affordable for
the middle class, end insurance company discrimination on pre-existing
conditions, improve care and benefits under Medicare . . creating a healthier America through
prevention, through wellness and innovation, create four million jobs in the
life of the bill, and doing all of that while saving the taxpayer $1.3 trillion.”

President
Obama commented that “Tonight's vote is not a victory for any one party. It is
a victory for the American people and it's a victory for common sense.” He said
that “long after the debate fades away,” the result will be “a healthcare
system that incorporates ideas from both parties, a system that works better for
the American people.”

To see
the official vote tally for the Senate-passed healthcare bill, HR 3590, The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which the House passed 219-212, with
all 178 Republicans voting no while the Democrats split with 219 Yes votes and
34 No votes, go to: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll165.xml.

In this week’s Open Mic, Ambassador Darci Vetter, Chief Agriculture Negotiator with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, provides an update on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPA) negotiations, as well as the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks. Vetter says the nation’s agriculture industry cannot afford to be isolated from the other ninety-five percent of the globe’s population or growth in its middle class. Support from farmers and ranchers will be crucial in advancing an ambitious trade agenda, she adds.